U.S. patent number 8,161,111 [Application Number 11/706,480] was granted by the patent office on 2012-04-17 for system and method for identifying common media content.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Packet Video, Corp. Invention is credited to Joel Espelien.
United States Patent |
8,161,111 |
Espelien |
April 17, 2012 |
System and method for identifying common media content
Abstract
A system and a method identify common media content with two or
more terminals that are remote with respect to each other for users
to access, to consume and/or to experience a multimedia file of the
common media content. A list of the common media content of the
first terminal and to the second terminal is displayed via the
first terminal and the second terminal. The first terminal and the
second terminal may be synchronized for the first user and for the
second user to experience the multimedia file via the shared
viewing session. A communication associated with the multimedia
file may be transmitted between the first terminal and the second
terminal via a shared communication channel over the network
before, during and/or after a playback of the multimedia file.
Inventors: |
Espelien; Joel (San Diego,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Packet Video, Corp (San Diego,
CA)
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Family
ID: |
38534874 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/706,480 |
Filed: |
February 15, 2007 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20070226315 A1 |
Sep 27, 2007 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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60786221 |
Mar 27, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
709/205; 345/156;
709/248 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N
21/436 (20130101); H04L 65/4015 (20130101); H04N
21/4788 (20130101); H04N 7/17318 (20130101); H04N
21/632 (20130101); H04L 67/1095 (20130101); H04L
65/403 (20130101); H04N 21/4307 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
15/16 (20060101); G09G 5/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;709/205 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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WO2007/126718 |
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Nov 2007 |
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WO |
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Other References
PCT Written Opinion, Jun. 29, 2008. cited by other .
PCT Search Report, Jun. 29, 2008. cited by other.
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Primary Examiner: Pwu; Jeffrey
Assistant Examiner: Li; Guang
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Patents+TMS, P.C.
Parent Case Text
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application
Ser. No. 60/786,221, filed Mar. 27, 2006.
Claims
I claim:
1. A system for identifying multimedia for a first user and a
second user, the system comprising: a first terminal connected to a
network wherein the first terminal has a first media library of
multimedia files wherein the first user consumes multimedia files
of the first media library on the first terminal; first metadata
associated with the multimedia files of the first media library
wherein the first terminal stores the first metadata; a second
terminal connected to the first terminal by the network and located
remote relative to the first terminal wherein the second terminal
has a second media library of multimedia files wherein the second
user consumes multimedia files of the second media library on the
second terminal; and second metadata associated with the multimedia
files of the second media library wherein the second terminal
stores the second metadata and further wherein the first terminal
and the second terminal identify a list of common media content and
further wherein the list of common media content indicates the
multimedia files that are located in both the first media library
and the second media library wherein the list of common media
content is based on comparison of the first metadata to the second
metadata and further wherein the first terminal and the second
terminal display the list of common media content wherein a common
media session of synchronized consumption of a multimedia file
which encodes the multimedia is initiated for the first terminal
and the second terminal in response to user input that selects the
multimedia file from the list of common media content and further
wherein the first terminal and the second terminal provide
simultaneous and synchronized playback of the multimedia encoded by
the multimedia file during the common media session of synchronized
consumption.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first terminal transmits the
first metadata to the second terminal.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the second terminal performs the
comparison of the first metadata to the second metadata.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first user pauses consumption
of the multimedia file on the first terminal to pause consumption
of the multimedia file on the second terminal.
5. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a network source
connected to the network wherein the network source transmits to
the second terminal a new multimedia file corresponding to one of
the multimedia files of the first media library that is not in the
second media library.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first terminal transmits a
first communication to the second terminal that indicates that the
first terminal is ready to initiate the common media session and
further wherein the second terminal transmits a second
communication to the first terminal that the second terminal is
ready to initiate the common media session wherein the common media
session initiates in response to the first terminal receiving the
second communication and the second terminal receiving the first
communication.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first terminal sends a message
to the second terminal indicating the multimedia files of the first
media library that correspond to multimedia files of the second
media library and further wherein the list of common media content
is based on the message.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first terminal accepts user
input from the first user during the common media session and
further wherein the first terminal transmits a communication based
on the user input from the first terminal to the second terminal
during the common media session using the network wherein the
second terminal displays the communication during the common media
session.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the first terminal accepts user
input from the first user during the common media session and
further wherein the first terminal transmits a communication based
on the user input to the second terminal during the common media
session using the network and further wherein the second terminal
displays the communication during a second consumption of the
multimedia file subsequent to the common media session.
10. A method for identifying multimedia for a first user and a
second user, the method comprising the steps of: connecting a first
terminal and a second terminal to a network wherein the first
terminal has a first media library of multimedia files and first
metadata associated with the first media library of multimedia
files and further wherein the second terminal has a second media
library of multimedia files and second metadata associated with the
second media library of multimedia files wherein the second
terminal is located remote relative to the first terminal;
transmitting the first metadata from the first terminal to the
second terminal; generating a list of common media content wherein
the list of common media content is determined based on comparison
of the first metadata to the second metadata and further wherein
the list of common media content indicates the multimedia files of
the first media library that correspond to the multimedia files of
the second media library wherein the list of common media content
indicates that a first multimedia file of the first media library
corresponds to a second multimedia file of the second media library
and further wherein the second multimedia file is a different file
than the first multimedia file; displaying an electronic program
guide via the first terminal and the second terminal wherein the
electronic program guide provides the list of common media content;
and initiating a common media session of synchronized playback of
the first multimedia file for the first terminal and the second
multimedia file for the second terminal in response to user input
on at least one of the first terminal and the second terminal.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of: updating
the list of common media content on a periodic basis.
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of: sending
a message from the first terminal to the second terminal which is
an invitation for the second user to partake in the common media
session of synchronized playback wherein the user input which
initiates the common media session of synchronized playback is user
input on the second terminal that indicates acceptance of the
invitation.
13. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of:
providing a graphic user interface on the first terminal and the
second terminal that allows the first user to select the first
multimedia file from the list of common media content and allows
the second user to select the second multimedia file from the list
of common media content wherein the graphic user interface displays
the first metadata associated with the multimedia files of the
first media library that correspond to the multimedia files of the
second media library.
14. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of:
indicating multimedia files that are in the first media library
that do not have corresponding multimedia files in the second media
library wherein the second terminal indicates to the second user
the multimedia files that are in the first media library that do
not have corresponding multimedia files in the second media
library.
15. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of:
transmitting a new multimedia file that corresponds to one of the
multimedia files of the first media library that is not in the
second media library wherein a media store transmits the new
multimedia file to the second terminal.
16. A system for identifying multimedia for a first user and a
second user, the system comprising: a network connected to a media
provider wherein the media provider has a first media library of
multimedia files; a first terminal connected to the network wherein
the first terminal has a second media library of multimedia files
and further wherein the first terminal enables the first user to
consume multimedia files of the second media library; and a second
terminal connected to the first terminal by the network and located
remote relative to the first terminal wherein the second terminal
has a third media library of multimedia files and further wherein
the second terminal enables the second user to consume multimedia
files of the third media library wherein the first media library,
the second media library and the third media library are located at
different locations wherein the first terminal and the second
terminal identify a multimedia file of the second media library
that is not one of the multimedia files of the third media library
and further wherein the multimedia file encodes the multimedia
wherein the second terminal accesses the first media library via
the network to obtain the multimedia file from the media provider
and further wherein a common media session of synchronized
consumption of the multimedia file is initiated for the first
terminal and the second terminal such that the first terminal and
the second terminal initiate the synchronized consumption of the
multimedia file wherein the first terminal and the second terminal
provide simultaneous and synchronized playback of the multimedia
encoded by the multimedia file during the common media session of
synchronized consumption.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein the first user pauses
consumption of the multimedia file on the first terminal to pause
consumption of the multimedia file on the second terminal.
18. The system of claim 16 wherein communications are transmitted
from the first terminal and the second terminal to each other
wherein the communications initiate the common media session.
19. The system of claim 16 wherein the first terminal and the
second terminal delay initiation of the common media session for a
time period after the second terminal indicates that the second
terminal will participate in the common media session and further
wherein the time period is based on an amount of time required for
the second terminal to obtain the multimedia file from the media
provider.
20. The method of claim 10 wherein the first multimedia file and
the second multimedia file encode the same multimedia content.
21. The method of claim 10 wherein the second multimedia file is a
different version of the first multimedia file.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a system and a method
for identifying common media content. More specifically, the
present invention relates to a system and a method for identifying
common media content which may be consumed by and/or may be
experienced by a first user on a first terminal and a second user
on a second terminal. The first terminal and the second terminal
may be connected via a network for the first user and the second
user to communicate during consumption of a multimedia file from
the common media content. The first user may invite and/or may
request the second user to participate in a shared viewing session
of the multimedia file with the first user via the first terminal,
the second terminal and/or the network. The second terminal may
acquire and/or may obtain a version of the multimedia file from a
network source for consumption during the shared viewing session
between the first user and the second user. The multimedia file and
the version of the multimedia file may be accessible and/or may be
consumable by the first terminal and the second terminal,
respectively, during the shared viewing session between the first
user and the second user, respectively.
The second terminal may transmit and/or may send a first message to
the first terminal via the network to signal and/or to indicate
that the second terminal has access to a version of the multimedia
file for consumption during the shared viewing session. The first
terminal may display a list of common media content to the first
user which may contain an indicator associated with the multimedia
file and/or the second user. The indicator and/or the list of
common media content may indicate to the first user that the second
terminal may be prepared to consume and/or to display the version
of the multimedia file to the second user. The first terminal and
the second terminal may display the multimedia file and the version
of the multimedia file, respectively, to the first user and the
second user, respectively. As a result, the first user and the
second user may consume and/or may experience the multimedia file
and the version of the multimedia file, respectively, in the shared
viewing session. A communication associated with the shared viewing
session may be transmitted between the first terminal and the
second terminal during the shared viewing session via the
network.
It is generally known, for example, that two or more viewers desire
to consume and/or to experience media programming with each other.
Traditionally, the two or more viewers gather and/or meet at a
first location to view and/or to consume the media programming via
an output device for experiencing the media programming with each
other. The output device is, typically, a television, a projector
screen, a computer terminal or a monitor which is connected to a
service provider for transmitting and/or for broadcasting the media
programming to the output device. The first location may be, for
example, a home, a school, a library, a conference room, an office
and/or the like. The media programming is transmitted by, is
accessible from and/or is provided from a service provider for
transferring the media programming to an output device for the
media programming to be consumed and/or to be experienced by the
two or more viewers. Typically, the content provider may be, for
example, a broadcast television station, a cable television
station, a satellite television station and/or the like. As a
result, the first location for allowing the media programming to be
consumed and/or to be experienced by two or more viewers is
stationary with respect to the service provider. Moreover, the
viewers may discuss and/or may communicate with each other during
the consumption of the media programming at the first location.
Traditionally, a first viewer and a second viewer consume and/or
experience the media programming by sharing and/or by transmitting
a digital multimedia file between a first computer terminal
(hereinafter "the first terminal") of the first viewer and a second
computer terminal (hereinafter "the second terminal") of the second
viewer via a network. The first viewer may be remote with respect
to the second viewer. The first computer terminal and the second
computer terminal may use a computer application to transmit, to
receive and/or to access the digital multimedia file of the media
programming via the network. As a result, the first viewer may
consume and/or may experience the media programming via the digital
multimedia file of the first terminal at a first period of time.
Additionally, the second viewer may consume and/or may experience
the media programming via the digital multimedia file and/or the
second terminal at a second period of time. Typically, the second
period of time is different than the first period of time which
prevents the first viewer and the second viewer from sharing in the
consumption and/or in the experience of the media programming.
Moreover, the first viewer and the second viewer of the media
programming may be prevented from sharing one or more
communications associated with the media programming during
consumption of and/or during experiencing the media programming via
the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively.
For example, sharing the digital multimedia file of the media
programming between the first terminal and the second terminal may
violate a copyright associated with the media programming. Further,
the digital multimedia file of the media programming may be
protected by digital rights management which may prevent sharing
the digital multimedia file between the first terminal and the
second terminal via the network. The digital rights management
associated with the digital multimedia file may prevent the
computer application from transmitting and/or from sharing the
digital multimedia file between the first terminal and the second
terminal. As a result, the second viewer may be prevented from
consuming and/or experiencing the media programming by the digital
rights management.
A format and/or a file size of the digital multimedia file may
prevent the multimedia file from being shared and/or from being
transmitted between the first terminal and the second terminal via
the computer application and/or the network. Further, sharing the
digital multimedia file between the first terminal and the second
terminal via the computer application and/or the network may be
inefficient and/or may be unsuccessful based on the format and/or
the file size of the digital multimedia file. The second viewer may
be prevented from consuming and/or from experiencing the media
programming by the format and/or by the file size of the digital
multimedia file. As a result, the first viewer and/or the second
viewer may be prevented from sharing in the consumption of and/or
in the experiencing of the media programming without consuming the
media programming with a single computer terminal in a single
location.
A need, therefore, exists for a system and a method for identifying
and sharing an experience of common media content without sharing
digital multimedia files. Additionally, a need exists for a system
and a method for identifying common media content which may allow a
first user and a second user which may be remote with respect to
the first user to share consuming and/or experiencing the common
media content. Further, a need exists for a system and a method for
identifying common media content which may allow a first user and a
second user to share consuming and/or experiencing the common media
content via a first terminal and a second terminal, respectively,
during a shared viewing session. Still further, a need exists for a
system and a method for identifying common media content which may
allow a first user and a second user to share consuming and
experiencing the common media content via two or more remote
terminals without violating a copyright associated with the common
media content. Moreover, a need exists for a system and a method
for identifying common media content which may allow users to share
consuming and experiencing the common media content via two or more
remote terminals without transferring the common media content
between the two or more remote terminals. Furthermore, a need
exists for a system and/or a method for identifying common media
content which may allow two or more users to consume and/or to
experience the common media content via two or more terminals at
two or more locations over a network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a system and a method
for identifying common media content. The system and method may
allow a first terminal of a first user to connect to a second
terminal of a second user via a network for sharing an experience
of consuming the common media content by the first terminal and the
second terminal, respectively. The first terminal may invite the
second terminal to participate in a shared viewing session between
the first terminal and the second terminal for consuming and/or for
experiencing the common media content by the first user and the
second user, respectively. The second terminal may receive
information associated with the common media content from the first
terminal to identify, to obtain and/or to access the common media
content for consuming and/or for experiencing by the second
terminal. The second terminal may indicate to the first terminal
that a multimedia file of the common media content may be available
for consuming and/or for experiencing by the second terminal.
Alternatively, the second terminal may obtain, may procure and/or
may access a version of the multimedia file from a network source
via the network for consuming the common media content.
The first terminal may display and/or may indicate that the second
terminal may be prepared to consume the common media content via a
common media list on the first terminal. The common media list may
display and/or may indicate attributes and/or information
associated with the common media content, the first user and/or the
second user. The first terminal and the second terminal may be
synchronized to share consuming and/or experiencing the common
media content by the first terminal and/or the second terminal in
the shared viewing session. The first user and the second user may
consume, may display and/or may experience the common media content
at a first time period for sharing the experience of common media
content in the shared viewing session. Communications associated
with the common media content and/or with the shared viewing
session may be transmitted between the first terminal by the first
user and the second terminal by the second user via the network. A
third user may determine whether to associate with and/or to
communicate with the first user and/or the second user based on the
communications, the attributes and/or the information of the common
media content. The communications, the attributes and/or the
information may be accessible from the common media list and/or the
common media content by the first user, the second user and/or the
third user.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a system for identifying
multimedia for a first user and a second user is provided. The
system has a first terminal connected to a network wherein the
first terminal has a first media library of multimedia files
wherein the first terminal allows the first user to consume
multimedia files of the first media library; and a second terminal
connected to the network wherein the second terminal has a second
media library of multimedia files wherein the second terminal
allows the second user to consume multimedia files of the second
media library wherein the first terminal and the second terminal
identify a list of common media content wherein the list of common
media content is the multimedia files of the first media library
that correspond to the multimedia files of the second media library
wherein a common media session of synchronized consumption of a
shared multimedia file is initiated for the first terminal and the
second terminal wherein the shared multimedia file is selected from
the list of common media content.
In an embodiment, the list of common media content is generated
based on metadata associated with the multimedia files of the first
media library and the second media library.
In an embodiment, the system has an electronic program guide that
displays the list of common media content on the first
terminal.
In an embodiment, the first user pauses consumption of the shared
multimedia file on the first terminal to pause consumption of the
shared multimedia file on the second terminal.
In an embodiment, the system has a graphic user interface that
allows the first user to select a multimedia file.
In an embodiment, the system has a network source connected to the
network wherein the network source transmits to the second terminal
a new multimedia file corresponding to one of the multimedia files
of the first media library that is not in the second media
library.
In an embodiment, the first terminal and the second terminal
transmit a communication to each other that the common media
session is ready to initiate.
In an embodiment, the first terminal sends a message to the second
terminal indicating the multimedia files of the first media library
that correspond to multimedia files of the second media
library.
In an embodiment, the list of common media content is multimedia
files of the first media library that correspond to multimedia
files of the second media library and multimedia files of a third
media library.
In an embodiment, the first user transmits a communication from the
first terminal to the second terminal via the network.
In another embodiment, a method is provided for identifying
multimedia for a first user and a second user, the method
comprising the steps of: connecting a first terminal and a second
terminal to a network wherein the first terminal has a first media
library of multimedia files and the second terminal has a second
media library of multimedia files; generating a list of common
media content wherein the list of common media content is the
multimedia files of the first media library that correspond to the
multimedia files of the second media library; displaying an
electronic program guide via the first terminal and the second
terminal wherein the electronic program guide provides the list of
common media content; and initiating a common media session of
synchronized consumption of a shared multimedia file wherein the
shared multimedia file is selected from the list of common media
content and consumed via the first terminal and the second
terminal.
In an embodiment, a method is provided for identifying multimedia
further comprising the step of: updating the list of common media
content on a periodic basis.
In an embodiment, a method is provided for identifying multimedia
further comprising the step of: sending a message from the first
terminal to the second terminal inviting the second user to partake
in the shared media session of the shared multimedia file.
In an embodiment, a method is provided for identifying multimedia
further comprising the step of: consuming the multimedia file on a
third terminal.
In an embodiment, a method is provided for identifying multimedia
further comprising the step of: providing a graphic user interface
that allows the first user and the second user to select the shared
multimedia file from the list of common media content.
In an embodiment, a method is provided for identifying multimedia
further comprising the step of: indicating multimedia files that
are in the first media library that do not have corresponding
multimedia files in the second media library.
In an embodiment, a method is provided for identifying multimedia
further comprising the step of: transmitting a new multimedia file
that corresponds to one of the multimedia files of the first media
library that is not in the second media library.
In another embodiment, a system is provided for identifying
multimedia for a first user and a second user. The system has a
network connected to a database of multimedia files; a first
terminal connected to the network wherein the first terminal has a
first media library of multimedia files; and a second terminal
connected to the network wherein the second terminal has a second
media library of multimedia files wherein the first terminal and
the second terminal identify a multimedia file of the first media
library that is not one of the multimedia files of the second
library wherein the second terminal accesses the database via the
network source to obtain the multimedia file wherein a common media
session of synchronized consumption of the multimedia file is
initiated for the first terminal and the second terminal.
In an embodiment, the identification of the multimedia file of the
first library that does not have a corresponding multimedia file of
the second library is based on metadata associated with the
multimedia files of the first library and the second library.
In an embodiment, communications are transmitted from the first
user via the first terminal and the second user via the second
terminal wherein the communications initiate the shared media
session.
It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide
a system and a method for identifying common media content. Another
advantage of the present invention is to provide a system and a
method for identifying common media content which may allow users
at more than one location to experience the common media content
via two or more remote terminals over a network.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a system
and a method for identifying common media content which may allow
users to experience and/or to consume the common media content at
two or more remote locations without violating a copyright
associated with the common media content.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a
system and a method for identifying common media content which may
allow users to experience and/or to consume the common media
content at two or more remote locations without transferring and/or
sharing the common media content between a first terminal and a
second terminal.
A further advantage of the present invention is to provide a system
and a method for identifying common media content which may access,
may locate and/or may obtain the common media content to share
experiencing and/or consuming the common media content between
users at two or more remote locations.
Moreover, an advantage of the present invention is to provide a
system and a method for identifying common media content which may
invite users to participate in a shared viewing session for the
users to share experiences of the common media content via two or
more remote terminals.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a system
and a method for identifying common media content which may procure
and/or may obtain a multimedia file of the common media content
from a network provider to share experiencing the common media
content with two or more remote terminals.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a
system and a method for identifying common media content which may
provide a list of the common media content for users to identify
which digital multimedia files may be experienced in a shared
viewing session between the users via two or more remote
terminals.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a system
and a method for identifying the common media content which may
allow users to associate with each other based on the common media
content and/or attributes of each of the users.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a
system and a method for identifying common media content which may
provide a list of the common media content that indicates that a
digital multimedia file is accessible by users for experiencing the
digital multimedia file via two or more remote terminals.
A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a
system and a method for identifying common media content which may
identify criteria and/or attributes of the common media content for
users to determine whether to share experiencing and/or consuming
the common media content.
Moreover, an advantage of the present invention is to provide a
system and a method for identifying common media content which may
synchronize playback of the common media content by two or more
remote terminals to share experiencing and/or consuming the common
media content by users via the two or more remote terminals.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a system
and a method for identifying common media content which may
commence and/or may start the shared media session after the remote
terminals receive signals and/or messages from each of the
terminals indicating that each of the terminals may be prepared to
consume the common media content.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is to provide a
system and a method for identifying common media content which may
synchronize playback of the common media content by two or more
remote terminals based on advertising media associated with the
common media content and/or on procurement of the common media
content.
Moreover, an advantage of the present invention is to provide a
system and a method for identifying common media content which may
provide a set of users and/or a subset of users for participating
in shared media sessions of the common media content via two or
more remote terminals based on an attribute of the users in the set
and/or in the subset.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are
described in, and will be apparent from, the detailed description
of the presently preferred embodiments and from the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 illustrates a black box diagram of a system for identifying
common media content in an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention relates to a system and a method for
identifying common media content. The system and the method may
provide two or more terminals which are remote with respect to each
other for users to access, to consume and/or to experience a
multimedia file of the common media content. A first terminal of a
first user may connect to and/or may invite a second terminal of a
second user to participate in a shared viewing session of the
multimedia file via a network. The first terminal may transmit
information associated with the multimedia file to the second
terminal for the second terminal to determine whether a version of
the multimedia file may be accessible and/or may be consumable by
the second terminal. The second terminal may procure and/or may
obtain the version of the multimedia file from a network source via
the network.
The second terminal may communicate with the first terminal to
indicate that the second terminal may be capable of accessing, of
consuming and/or of displaying the version of the multimedia file
with the first terminal in the shared viewing session. A list of
the common media content available for the first terminal and for
the second terminal may be displayed via the first terminal and the
second terminal, respectively. The list of the common media content
available may be updated, may be modified and/or may be revised
based on a media library of the first terminal and/or of the second
terminal. An attribute and/or data associated with the multimedia
file, the first user and/or the second user may be displayed and/or
may be identified via the list of common media content available.
The first terminal and the second terminal may be synchronized for
the first user and the second user to share consuming and/or
experiencing the multimedia file via the shared viewing session. A
communication associated with the multimedia file may be
transmitted between the first terminal and the second terminal via
a shared communication channel over the network before, during
and/or after a playback of the multimedia file.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like
parts, FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 for identifying common media
content. The system 10 may have a first terminal 12a of a first
user 14a which may be connected to a second terminal 12b of a
second user 14b via a data communication network 18 (hereinafter
"the network 18"). Further, the system 10 may have a third terminal
12c of a third user 14c which may be connected to the first
terminal 12a and/or the second terminal 12b via the network 18. The
first terminal 12a, the second terminal 12b and/or the third
terminal 12c (hereinafter "the terminals 12a-12c") may be connected
to and/or may be in communication with each other via the network
18. The first user 14a, the second user 14b and/or the third user
14c (hereinafter "the users 14a-14c") may be local and/or may be
remote with respect to each other. The terminals 12a-12c may be
local and/or may be remote with respect to each other. As a result,
the users 14a-14c may be connected and/or may be in communication
with each other via the network 18.
A network source 16 may be connected to and/or may be in
communication with the terminals 12a-12c for delivering media
content 20 to the terminals 12a-12c via the network 18. The media
content 20 may be stored in and/or may be contained in a database
22 of the network source 16. The database 22 may be connected to
and/or may be in communication with the network source 16 for
accessing and/or for delivering the media content 20 to the
terminals 12a-12c by the network source 16 via the network 18. The
database 22 and/or the media content 20 may be remote or may be
local with respect to the network source 16. The media content 20
may be accessible by the terminals 12a-12c via the network source
16 and/or the network 18. The media content 20 of the database 22
may be accessible by the terminals 12a-12c via the network 18
and/or the network source 16 for consuming and/or for experiencing
the media content 20.
A first media library 24a (hereinafter "the first library 24a") may
be connected to and/or may be in communication with the first
terminal 12a for storing and/or for accessing a digital multimedia
file 26a (hereinafter "the multimedia file 26a") and/or the media
content. The first user 14a and/or the first terminal 12a may
access, may obtain and/or may receive the multimedia file 26a from
the media content 20 via the network source 16 and/or the network
18. The first library 24a may be remote or may be local with
respect to the first terminal 12a and/or the first user 14a. The
first terminal 12a may access, may display and/or may render the
multimedia file 26a to the first user 14a. As a result, the first
user 14a may consume and/or may experience the multimedia file 26a
via the first terminal 12a and/or the first library 24a.
A second media library 24b (hereinafter "the second library 24b")
may be connected to and/or may be in communication with the second
terminal 12b for storing and/or for accessing a version of the
digital multimedia file 26b (hereinafter "the multimedia file 26b")
which may be stored within the second library 24b. The second-user
14b and/or the second terminal 12b may access, may obtain and/or
may receive the multimedia file 26b from the media content 20 in
the database 22 via the network source 16 and/or the network 18.
The second library 24b may be remote or may be local with respect
to the second terminal 12b and/or the second user 14b. The second
terminal 12b may access, may display and/or may render the version
of the multimedia file 26b to the second user 14b. As a result, the
second user 14b may consume and/or may experience the multimedia
file 26b via the second terminal 12b and/or the second library
24b.
The network source 16 may be, for example, a media station, a media
content provider, a media content library, a media exchange
provider and/or the like. The media station may be, for example, a
television station, a radio station, a streamed radio source, a
streamed video source, a satellite radio station and/or the like.
The media content provider may be, for example, a cable television
provider, a satellite television provider, a satellite radio
provider, an internet radio provider, a streaming audio provider, a
streaming video provider and/or the like. The media content library
may be a media content retailer and/or a distributor, such as, for
example, a media store, a file-sharing store, an online media
distributor and/or the like. It should be understood that the
network source 16 may be any source capable of transferring the
media content to the terminals 12a-12c.
The media content 20 stored in the database 22 may contain the
multimedia file 26a and/or the multimedia file 26b (collectively
known hereinafter as "the multimedia files 26a, 26b"). The
multimedia files 26a, 26b may be, such as, for example, an audio
signal, video frames, a data feed, a data stream, a musical
composition, a radio program, an audio book, an audio program
and/or the like. Further, the multimedia files 26a, 26b may be, for
example, a cable television program, a satellite television
program, a public access program, a motion picture, a music video,
an animated work, a video program, a video game, a soundtrack, a
video track of an audiovisual work, a dramatic work, a film score,
an opera and/or the like. The database 22 may contain and/or may
store one or more multimedia files (not shown in the FIGURE) and/or
any amount of data (not shown in the FIGURE) as known to one of
ordinary skill in the art. The present invention should not be
limited to a specific embodiment of the data and/or the multimedia
files 26a, 26b. It should be understood that the data and/or the
multimedia files 26a, 26b may be any data and/or any digital media
files, respectively, as known to one of ordinary skill in the
art.
The multimedia files 26a, 26b may have metadata which may be, for
example, a communication and/or information associated with,
related to and/or corresponding to the multimedia files 26a, 26b,
the media content 20 and/or network source 16. The metadata may be
formatted in a standard data format, such as, for example, XML,
RDF, RSS, MathML, XHTML, SVG, cXML, Flash, MS CSF and/or the like.
The communication may be, for example, text, a graphic, a voice
recording, a video recording, a conferencing recording, a comment,
a note, a review, a correspondence, a commentary, a message, a
discussion, a notice, a bulletin, a memorandum, news and/or the
like which may be related to, may be associated with and/or may be
based on the multimedia files 26a, 26b, the media content 20 and/or
the network source 16. The present invention should not be limited
to a specific embodiment of the standard data format of the
metadata and/or the communication.
The information of the metadata may be, for example, a name of the
multimedia files 26a, 26b, a type of the multimedia files 26a, 26b
and/or the like. The type of the multimedia files 26a, 26b may be,
for example, a musical composition, a radio program, an audio book,
an audio program, a television program, a movie, a music video, an
animated work, a video program, a video game and/or a soundtrack
and/or a video track of an audiovisual work, a dramatic work, a
film score, an opera and/or the like.
Further, the information may be, for example, a year of the
multimedia files 26a, 26b, an artist associated with the multimedia
files 26a, 26b, a publisher or a copyright owner of the multimedia
files 26a, 26b, a genre associated with the multimedia files 26a,
26b and/or a length of time of the multimedia files 26a, 26b.
Moreover, the information may be, for example, a content rating of
the multimedia files 26a, 26b, a language associated with the
multimedia files 26a, 26b, a key word associated with the
multimedia files 26a, 26b, a review of the multimedia files 26a,
26b, a source of the multimedia files 26a, 26b and/or the like. The
present invention should not be limited to a specific embodiment of
the communication and/or the information of the metadata. It should
be understood that the information may be any communication and/or
information as known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
The terminals 12a-12c may be, for example, a computer terminal, a
mobile device, a set-top box, and/or an electronic device capable
of consuming, of receiving, of processing, and/or of displaying the
multimedia files 26a, 26b and/or the metadata associated with the
multimedia files 26a, 26b. The set-top box may be connected to a
display (not shown in the FIGURE) for viewing, for consuming and/or
for displaying the multimedia files 26a, 26b and/or the metadata
associated with the multimedia files 26a, 26b. Alternatively, the
set-top box may be, for example, a digital multimedia
broadcasting-enabled television and/or the like. In an embodiment,
the mobile device may be, for example, a 4G mobile device, a 3G
mobile device, an internet protocol (hereinafter "IP") video
cellular telephone, an ALL-IP electronic device, a PDA, a laptop
computer, a mobile cellular telephone, a satellite radio receiver,
a portable digital audio player, a portable digital video player
and/or the like. It should be understood that the terminals 12a-12c
may be any terminal capable of transmitting, capable of receiving,
capable of processing, capable of consuming and/or capable of
displaying the metadata and/or the multimedia files 26a, 26b as
known to one having ordinary skill in the art.
The network 18 may be a fixed network, such as, for example, a
cabled network, a permanent network and/or the like. In an
embodiment, the network 18 may be a temporary network, such as, for
example, a modem network, a null modem network and/or the like. In
an embodiment, the network 18 may be, for example, a local area
network, a metropolitan area network, a wide area network, a
personal area network and/or the like. Alternatively, the network
18 may be a wireless network, such as, for example, a wireless
metropolitan area network, a wireless local area network, a
wireless personal area network, a global standard network, a
personal communication system network, a pager-based service
network, a general packet radio service, a universal mobile
telephone service network, a radio access network and/or the like.
The present invention should not be limited to a specific
embodiment of the network 18. It should be understood that the
network 18 may be any network capable of delivering the multimedia
files 26a, 26b and/or media content to the terminals 12a-12c as
known to one having ordinary skill in the art.
The media provider network source 16 may deliver, may distribute,
may stream, may broadcast and/or may transmit the media content 20
and/or the multimedia files 26a, 26b to the terminals 12a-12c via
the network 18. The media content 20 and/or the multimedia files
26a, 26b may be consumed by, may be displayed to, may be
experienced by and/or may be rendered to the users 14a-14c via the
terminals 12a-12c. It should be understood that the media content
20 and/or the multimedia files 26a, 26b may be delivered to the
terminals 12a-12c by any means of transmission as known to one
having ordinary skill in the art.
A storage device (not shown in the FIGURE) may be connected to
and/or may be in communication with each of the terminals 12a-12c.
The first library 24a and/or the second library 24b (hereinafter
collectively known as "the libraries 24a, 24b") may be stored
and/or may be contained within the storage device. The multimedia
files 26a, 26b, and/or the media content 20 in the libraries 24a,
24b may be accessed from the storage device by the terminals
12a-12c, respectively for consuming and/or for experiencing by the
users 14a-14c, respectively. As a result, the users 14a-14c may
experience and/or may consume the media content 20 and/or the
multimedia files 26a, 26b from the libraries 24a-24c, respectively,
via the terminals 12a-12c.
The storage device may be a data storage device, such as, for
example, an online digital storage locker, a flash memory/memory
card, a solid state semiconductor memory, a magnetic bubble memory,
a disk storage, a database and/or the like. In an embodiment, the
storage device may be, for example, a digital video recorder, a
personal video recorder, a hard disk recorder and/or the like. The
storage device may permanently or may temporarily store the data,
the media content 20 and/or the multimedia files 26a, 26b. It
should be understood that the storage device may be any storage
medium as known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
The terminals 12a-12c may have a guide application (not shown in
the FIGURE), such as, for example, an electronic program guide
(EPG), an interactive program guide and/or the like. The guide
application may search, may locate, may identify, may navigate
and/or may select the multimedia files 26a, 26b, the media content
20 and/or the metadata stored in the storage device. The guide
application may have a graphical user interface (hereinafter "the
GUI") for displaying the metadata corresponding to and/or based on
the multimedia files 26a, 26b and/or the media content 20. The GUI
may display the metadata in a display format, such as, for example,
rows and/or columns. Further, the GUI may display the metadata in
two dimensions or in three dimensions. Further, the GUI may be
formatted in a standard data format, such as, for example, XML,
RDF, RSS, MathML, XHTML, SVG, cXML, Flash, MS CSF and/or the like.
It should be understood that the guide application, the display
format of the GUI and/or the standard data format of the GUI may be
any guide application, any display format and/or any standard data
format, respectively, as known to one having ordinary skill in the
art.
The multimedia files 26a, 26b and/or the media content 20 may
contain advertising media which may relate to, may be associated
with and/or may correspond to the network source 16. The
advertising media may be, for example, a commercial, an
advertisement, an audio transmission, a video, an interview, a
commentary, a documentary and/or the like. In an embodiment, the
advertising material may relate to, may be associated with and/or
may correspond to an entity, such as, for example, a corporate
entity, a marketing agency, a media distributor, a consumer
products producer, an advertising agency, a manufacturer, a
government agency, a travel corporation, an entertainment
corporation and/or the like. The present invention should not be
limited to a specific embodiment of the entity associated with the
advertising media. It should be understood that the advertising
media may be any type of media as known to one of ordinary skill in
the art.
An appearance of the EPG and/or of the GUI may be personalized, may
be customized and/or may be modified by each of the users 14a-14c
for displaying the metadata of the media content 20 and/or the
multimedia files 26a, 26b. The appearance of the EPG and/or the GUI
may be related to and/or may be associated with a display element
of the EPG and/or of the GUI, respectively. The display element of
the appearance may be, for example, a format, a language, a color,
an orientation, a visual aspect and/or the like. The present
invention should not be deemed as limited to a specific embodiment
of the display element of the appearance of the EPG and/or of the
GUI.
The first user 14a may; select and/or may identify the multimedia
file 26a from the first library 24a via the GUI, the EPG and/or the
first terminal 12a. The first terminal 12a may be connected to
and/or may be in communication with the second terminal 12b via the
network 18 and/or the guide application of the first terminal 12a.
The first user 14a may invite the second user 14b to participate in
a shared viewing session between the first terminal 12a and the
second terminal 12b (collectively known hereinafter as "the
terminals 12a, 12b") to share consuming and/or experiencing the
multimedia file 26a. The second user 14b may select to participate
in the shared viewing session with the first user 14a via the GUI,
the EPG and/or the second terminal 12b. The second terminal 12b may
communicate to the first terminal 12a that the second user 14b may
desire to participate in the shared viewing session with the first
user 14a via the network 18 and/or the guide application of the
second terminal 12b. The first terminal 12a may invite the second
terminal 12b to participate in the shared media session by any
invitation/response model as known to one of ordinary skill in the
art.
The first terminal 12a may transmit the metadata of the multimedia
file 26a to the second terminal 12b via the network 18 and/or the
guide application of the first terminal 12a. The second terminal
12b may identify the metadata of the multimedia file 26a to
determine whether the second library 24b of the second terminal 12b
may contain the multimedia file 26b for consumption during the
shared viewing session. The second terminal 12b may determine
whether the metadata of the multimedia file 26b may match the
metadata of the multimedia file 26a. The metadata of the multimedia
file 26b may match the metadata of the multimedia file 26a. The
second terminal 12b may communicate to the first terminal 12a that
the multimedia file 26b may match the multimedia file 26a for
consumption in the shared viewing session.
Alternatively, the second library 24b may not contain the
multimedia file 26b or the multimedia file 26a may not match the
multimedia file 26b. The second terminal 12b may communicate to the
first terminal 12a that the second terminal 12b may require
obtaining and/or procuring the multimedia file 26b for consumption
in the shared viewing session. The second user 14b may connect to
and/or may be in communication with the network source 16 to
obtain, to purchase and/or to access the media content 20 of the
database 22 via the metadata of the multimedia file 26a, the
network 18 and/or the second terminal 12b. The second terminal 12b
may request the multimedia file 26b from the media content 20 in
the database 22 for consumption in the shared viewing session with
the first user 14a. The network source 26 may deliver the
multimedia file 26b to the second library 24b via the network 18
and/or the second terminal 12b. The second terminal 12b may
communicate to the first terminal 12a that the second library 24b
may contain the multimedia file 26b which may match the multimedia
file 26a for consumption in the shared viewing session. The first
terminal 12a may identify and/or may determine that the multimedia
file 26a may be common between the libraries 24a, 24b for
consumption in the shared viewing session between the first user
14a and the second user 14b (collectively known hereinafter as "the
users 14a, 14b").
A list 30 of common media content available may be displayed and/or
may be rendered to the users 14a, 14b via the guide application,
the GUI and/or the EPG of the terminals 12a, 12b, respectively. The
list 30 of common media content available may display and/or may
indicate that the multimedia files 26a, 26b may be common to the
first libraries 24a, 24b. As a result, the users 14a, 14b may
determine and/or may identify that the multimedia files 26a, 26b
may be common between the users 14a, 14b for consumption in the
shared viewing session based on the list 30 of common media content
available. The list 30 of common media content available may
contain and/or may display any number of multimedia files which may
be common between the libraries 24a, 24b as known to one of
ordinary skill in the art. The list 30 of common media content
available may be compiled by the guide program and/or by the
terminals 12a, 12b on a periodic basis, such as, for example, a
daily basis, a weekly basis and/or a monthly basis for determining
and/or for identifying any number of multimedia files which may be
common between the libraries 24a, 24b.
The users 14a, 14b may select a viewing mode from the guide
application via the terminals 12a, 12b, respectively, to display
and/or to consume the multimedia files 26a, 26b, respectively, with
the terminals 12a, 12b, respectively. Alternatively, the terminals
12a, 12b and/or the guide application may automatically select the
viewing mode when the multimedia files 26a, 26b, respectively, may
be common between the libraries 24a, 24b. The terminals 12a, 12b
may attempt to initiate a playback of the multimedia files 26a,
26b, respectively, to initiate the common media session. The
terminals 12a, 12b may determine that the multimedia files 26a,
26b, respectively, may be prepared to be consumed by the terminals
26a, 26b, respectively, to initiate the common media session.
Each of the terminals 12a, 12b may transmit a communication to each
other to confirm that the common media session may begin via the
network 18. The terminals 12a, 12b may await the communication from
each other prior to initiating the common media session and/or the
consumption of the multimedia files 26a, 26b, respectively. The
terminals 12a, 12b may be required to consume the advertising media
prior to consuming the multimedia files 26a, 26b and/or prior to
transmitting the communication to each other. As a result, an
initiation of the consumption of the multimedia files 26a, 26b in
the common media session may be delayed and/or may be paused by the
terminals 12a, 12b, respectively, based on a duration of the
advertising media, such as, for example, thirty (30) seconds. In an
embodiment, the initiation of the consumption of the multimedia
files 26a, 26b may be delayed and/or may be paused by the terminals
12a, 12b, respectively, to correspond to and/or based on a moment
of time, such as, for example, six (6) o'clock post meridiem. In an
embodiment, the initiation of the consumption of the multimedia
files 26a, 26b may be delayed and/or may be paused by the terminals
12a, 12b, respectively, based on a procurement period of time, such
as, for example, three minutes, for procuring the version of the
multimedia file 26b.
The consumption of the multimedia files 26a, 26b by the terminals
12a, 12b, respectively, may be synchronized to initiate the common
media session via the network 18. As a result, a viewing of, a
consumption of and/or an experience of the multimedia files 26a,
26b by the users 14a, 14b, respectively, may be synchronized by the
terminals 12a, 12b and/or the guide application in the common media
session. The users 14a, 14b may transmit a communication (not shown
in the FIGURE) between each other during the consumption and/or
during the experience of the multimedia files 26a, 26b,
respectively, via the terminals 12a, 12b and/or a shared
communication network (not shown in the FIGURE) over the network
18. The communication may be, for example, an icon, an emoticon, a
text-based communication, a voice based communication, a
photo-based communication, a real-time video based communication
and/or the like. The communication may be stored by, may be
accessed by and/or may be searchable by the terminals 12a, 12b for
the users 14a, 14b, respectively, to re-experience the common media
session. It should be understood that the communication may be any
communication and/or any number of communications as known to one
of ordinary skill in the art.
The users 14a, 14b may modify, may update, may procure and/or may
revise the libraries 24a, 24b, respectively, to add and/or to
subtract available media content in the libraries 24a, 24b. As a
result, the list 30 of common media content available may be
updated, may be modified and/or may be revised to indicate whether
the multimedia files 26a, 26b may be common between the libraries
24a, 24b for consumption in the shared viewing session between the
users 14a, 14b, respectively. The list 30 of common media content
available may display that the multimedia files 26a, 26b may not be
common between the libraries 24a, 24b, respectively, to the users
14a, 14b, respectively. As a result, the users 14a, 14b may
terminate the shared viewing session by removing either of the
multimedia files 26a, 26b from the libraries 24a, 24b.
In an embodiment, the list 30 of common media content available may
indicate that two or more multimedia files (not shown in the
FIGURE) and versions of the multimedia files (not shown in the
FIGURE) may be common between the libraries 24a, 24b of the users
14a, 14b. The guide application may invite the users 14a, 14b to
participate in the shared media session and/or to vote for and/or
to select one of the two or more multimedia files for consumption
in the shared media session via the terminals 12a, 12b. The second
user 14b may vote for and/or may select one of the two or more
multimedia files from the list 30 of common media content available
to identify which one of the two or more multimedia files may be
consumed in the shared media session.
The users 14a, 14b may select one of the two or more multimedia
files for consumption during the shared media session based on
criteria associated with the users 14a, 14b, the metadata of the
two or more multimedia files, of the terminals 12a, 12b and/or of
the network 18. In an embodiment, the criteria may be related to,
for example, a newness of each of the two or more multimedia files,
a popularity of each of the two or more multimedia files and/or the
like. In an embodiment, the criteria may be related to a rank, a
priority and/or an ordering of each of the two or more multimedia
files which may be established by the users 14a, 14b via the
terminals 12a, 12b, respectively. The guide application may
rearrange and/or may modify the two or more multimedia files in the
list 30 of common media content available based on the criteria via
the terminals 12a, 12b. The present invention should not be deemed
as limited to a specific embodiment of the criteria.
One of the two or more multimedia files from the list 30 of common
media content available may be selected by the users 14a, 14b for
consumption in the common media session. The terminals 12a, 12b may
display and/or may consume the multimedia files 26a, 26b to the
users 14a, 14b, respectively, as selected from the list of common
media content available by the users 14a, 14b. The users 14a, 14b
may consume and/or may experience the multimedia files together via
the terminals 12a, 12b.
In an embodiment, the terminals 12a, 12b may be connected to and/or
may be in communication with the third terminal 12c via the network
18 for inviting the third user 14c to participate in the common
media session between the users 14a, 14b. The third user 14c may
select to participate in the shared viewing session with the users
14a, 14b via the GUI, the EPG and/or the third terminal 12c. The
third terminal 12c may communicate to the terminals 12a, 12b that
the third user 14c may desire to participate in the shared viewing
session via the network 18 and/or the guide application of the
third terminal 12c.
The metadata of the multimedia files 26a, 26b may be transmitted to
the third terminal 12c to identify the metadata of the multimedia
file 26a for procuring and/or for obtaining media content 20 from
the network source 26. The third terminal 12c may communicate to
the terminals 12a, 12b that the third terminal 12c may be required
to procure the media content 20 for consumption in the shared
viewing session. The third user 14c may obtain, may purchase and/or
may access the media content 20 of the database 22 which may match
the metadata of the multimedia files 26a, 26b via the network 18
and/or the third terminal 12c. The network source 26 may deliver
the media content 20 which may correspond to the multimedia files
26a, 26b to the third terminals 12c via the network 18. The third
terminal 12c may communicate to the terminals 12a, 12b that the
third terminal 12c may have accessed the media content 20
corresponding to the multimedia files 26a, 26b for consumption in
the shared viewing session. The terminals 12a, 12b may identify
that the multimedia file 26a may be common between the terminals
12a, 12b and the third terminal 12c.
The list 30 of common media content available may display and/or
may indicate that the multimedia files 26a, 26b and the media
content 20 may be common between the terminals 12a-12c. As a
result, the users 14a-14c may identify that the multimedia files
26a, 26b may be common between the users 14a-14c for consumption in
the shared viewing session based on the list 30 of common media
content available. The list 30 of common media content available
may contain and/or may display any number of the multimedia files
26a, 26b which may be common between the terminals 12a-12c as known
to one of ordinary skill in the art.
The users 14a-14c may select a viewing mode from the guide
application via the terminals 12a-12c, respectively, to display
and/or to consume the multimedia files 26a, 26b and the media
content 20, respectively, with the terminals 12a-12c, respectively.
The terminals 12a-12c may attempt to initiate the common media
session and/or may determine that the multimedia files 26a, 26b and
the media content 20, respectively, may be prepared to be consumed
by the terminals 26a-26c, respectively. Each of the terminals
12a-12c may transmit the communication to each other to confirm
that the common media session may be initiated via the network 18.
The terminals 12a-12c may await the communication from each other
prior to initiating the common media session and/or the consumption
of the multimedia files 26a, 26b and the media content 20,
respectively. The initiation of the common media session may be
delayed and/or may be paused by the terminals 12a-12c until the
communication may be received by each of the terminals 12a-12c.
The consumption of and/or the experience of the multimedia files
26a, 26b and the media content 20 by the users 14a-14c,
respectively, may be synchronized by the terminals 12a-12c and/or
the guide application in the common media session. In an
embodiment, the media content 20 may be broadcast to the third
terminal 12c from the network source 16 during the common media
session. The users 14a-14c may transmit the communication
associated with the common media session between each other via the
shared communication network and/or the network 18.
In an embodiment, the system 10 may be referred to as a social
networking application for the users 14a-14c. The third user 14c
may be, for example, unfamiliar with the users 14a, 14b. The third
user 14c may access and/or may identify the list 30 of common media
content available of the users 14a, 14b. Further, the third user
14c may access and/or may identify information relating to the
libraries 24a, 24b of the users 14a, 14b, respectively. Still
further, the third user 14c may access and/or may identify the
communication between the users 14a, 14b during the common media
session. The third user 14c may determine whether to associate
with, to communicate with and/or to participate with the users 14a,
14b based on the list 30 of common media content available of the
users 14a, 14b, the information relating to the libraries 24a, 24b
and/or the communication between the users 14a, 14b during the
common media session.
The first terminal 12a of the first user 14a may connect to and/or
may invite the second terminal 12b of the second user 14b to
participate in the shared viewing session of the multimedia files
26a, 26b via the network 18. The first terminal 12a may transmit
metadata of the multimedia file 26a to the second terminal 12b for
determining whether the multimedia file 26b may be accessible
and/or may be consumable by the second terminal 12b. The second
terminal 12b may procure and/or may obtain the multimedia file 26b
from the network source 16 via the network 18. The list 30 of the
common media content available may be displayed via the first
terminal 12a and the second terminal 12b, respectively. The
terminals 12a, 12b may be synchronized for the users 14a, 14b to
share the consumption and/or the experience of the multimedia files
26a, 26b during the shared viewing session. The communication
between the users 14a, 14b during the common media session may be
transmitted between the terminals 12a, 12b via the shared
communication channel over the network 18 before, during and/or
after a playback of the multimedia files 26a, 26b.
It should be understood that various changes and modifications to
the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be
apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present invention and without diminishing its
attendant advantages. It is, therefore, intended that such changes
and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
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